Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure generally relates to a telemetry operated running tool.
Description of the Related Art
A wellbore is formed to access hydrocarbon bearing formations, e.g. crude oil and/or natural gas, by the use of drilling. Drilling is accomplished by utilizing a drill bit that is mounted on the end of a tubular string, such as a drill string. To drill within the wellbore to a predetermined depth, the drill string is often rotated by a top drive or rotary table on a surface platform or rig, and/or by a downhole motor mounted towards the lower end of the drill string. After drilling to a predetermined depth, the drill string and drill bit are removed and a section of casing is lowered into the wellbore. An annulus is thus formed between the string of casing and the formation. The casing string is cemented into the wellbore by circulating cement into the annulus defined between the outer wall of the casing and the borehole. The combination of cement and casing strengthens the wellbore and facilitates the isolation of certain areas of the formation behind the casing for the production of hydrocarbons.
It is common to employ more than one string of casing or liner in a wellbore. In this respect, the well is drilled to a first designated depth with a drill bit on a drill string. The drill string is removed. A first string of casing is then run into the wellbore and set in the drilled out portion of the wellbore, and cement is circulated into the annulus behind the casing string. Next, the well is drilled to a second designated depth, and a second string of casing or liner, is run into the drilled out portion of the wellbore. If the second string is a liner string, the liner is set at a depth such that the upper portion of the second string of casing overlaps the lower portion of the first string of casing. The liner string may then be hung off of the existing casing. The second casing or liner string is then cemented. This process is typically repeated with additional casing or liner strings until the well has been drilled to total depth. In this manner, wells are typically formed with two or more strings of casing/liner of an ever-decreasing diameter.
A running tool is typically used to deploy a liner string into the wellbore. The running tool may also be used to deploy a casing string into a subsea wellbore. The running tool is used to releasably connect the liner string to a string of drill pipe for deployment into the wellbore. Once the liner string has been deployed to the desired depth and a hanger thereof set against a previously installed casing string, the running tool is then operated to release the liner string from the drill pipe string.
Running tools have typically been operated by over pull or pressure. There are a few running tools that are operated by left hand torque but this is an unfavorable design because when rotating to the left, any right hand threaded connections can be loosened unintentionally. Pressure operated running tools use a pump or dropped ball and seat; but, sometimes the ball doesn't land onto the seat or doesn't seal well enough to obtain the necessary pressure for operation of the running tool.